In some refrigeration systems, such as may be employed with a room air conditioner or a refrigerator or the like for instance, various types of past condition responsive mechanisms were utilized to control the operation of such refrigeration systems. These condition responsive mechanisms generally included switch means for energizing and deenergizing various electrical components of the refrigeration system, and such switch means were actuated by various types of actuators operable generally in response to temperature sensing means associated therewith for sensing the temperature of a given space conditioned by the refrigeration system. Of course, these past condition responsive mechanisms could be adjusted so as to operate in response to a selected set-point temperature for the given space as sensed by the temperature sensing means of the condition responsive mechanisms. In order words, a control device was adjustably associated with the condition responsive mechanism and manually movable through a temperature range to a preselected or set-point temperature, and such manual movement of the control device, in effect, adjusted or biased an associated part of the actuator so that it actuated the switch means when the temperature sensing means of the actuator sensed the set-point temperature of the given space cooled by the refrigeration system. Of course, when so actuated, the switch means effected the energization or deenergization of the electrical components of the refrigeration system so as to effect the conditioning of the air of the given space. One such condition responsive mechanism utilizing a control device to select the set point temperature therefor, as discussed above, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,648,214 issued Mar. 7, 1972 to John L. Slonneger, and this patent is incorporated by reference herein.
In at least one of the aforementioned past condition responsive mechanisms, a control device contained a plurality of different parts, such as for instance as many as five different parts, which were assembled together through an opening in a cover plate or housing part of the condition responsive mechanism, and it is believed that at least one disadvantageous or undesirable feature of this past assembled control device was that it was time consuming to effect the assembly of so many different parts. Another or an analogous disadvantageous or undesirable feature is believed to be that fixtures and equipment were necessary to effect the assembly of this aforementioned past control device with its cover plate. For instance, in the aforementioned assembly of the past control device, a steel shaft thereof was nested in a hydraulic press with a knurled end of the steel shaft exposed or facing upwardly. An annular steel washer was placed about the knurled end of the shaft and rested on a shoulder thereof. A torque washer, such as an annular wavy metal spring for instance, was then disposed on top of the steel washer, and one side of a cover plate about an opening therethrough was disposed so as to be engaged on top of the torque washer. Thereafter, an annular zinc cam was pressed onto the knurled end of the shaft with a flange of the zinc cam engaging the opposite side of the cover plate. To complete this assembly, the knurled end was staked or swagged over into displacement preventing engagement with the zinc cam. It was also necessary to provide a lubricant between the flange of the cam and the opposite side of the cover plate which is also believed to be a disadvantageous or undesirable feature.